Dear Eric: My husband and I are about to celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary. My husband sends Amazon gift cards to other women in exchange for sexual favors. Usually these favors consist of sexting. I’ve caught him doing this a few times recently.

We are retired people on a fixed income. We can’t afford this at all. He usually uses my money for such ventures. I am 68, my husband is 60. Do you consider this sexting cheating, even if it doesn’t involve physical contact?

– Frustrated wife

Dear Lady: Cheating is anything that goes against the rules of your relationship. Your husband may not be sure what you two agreed to – sexting didn’t exist 27 years ago, after all – but I think he’s just trying to rip you off.

Relationships rely on clear communication and trust, so even if he has needs he can’t meet, it’s his responsibility to share them with you before he logs onto Amazon and fires up the sext machine.

If you can limit his access to your money, you should. He is not being responsible. Tell him why you are doing this – you can’t afford it and you are not comfortable with the sexts. Even if the sexts were free, you both need to be on the same page before you can move forward.